How the Bots Stole Christmas
by J.M.Spellbound
Summary: WOWL Verse: Bumblebee got an idea. An awful idea. Bumblebee got a wonderful, awful idea.


**Disclaimer: I do not own Transformers. Only the plot and OCs.**

 **You may all blame my family for this crazy one. It was entirely their fault. Their's and _The Grinch_ playing on repeat.**

 **Merry Christmas and I hope you enjoy! ^-^**

 **P.S. To any new readers, if you haven't read WOWL this is likely not going to make any sense. But its a bunch of holiday nonsense anyway, so enjoy if you would like.**

* * *

How the Bots Stole Christmas

Later, long after this ridiculous idea of theirs came to life, Megatron would claim he had nothing to do with it. That it was entirely those silly younglings—the grown verity as well as the _actual_ younglings—that decided a meshing of squishy culture and their own would work.

After all, would anybot in their right mind _really_ believe that the eldest prince could have possibly been on board with this?

Honestly, it was pure folly.

He had told them no. He had told them to keep their wire-hare plans to their rooms and leave the masses out of it. He, in fact, did not want to be dealing with mass mayhem should the public be either favorable or not to . . . what was it they called it again?

Oh, yes, _Christmas._

That absurd Earth holiday of snow, dead trees for some reason placed in houses and covered with Primus knew what, crinkly paper wrapped and stuck to various surprise gifts that humans got far too excitable over, food made into weird shapes that made on sense what so ever, and truly baffling songs sang loudly out of tune with the strangest lyrics known to the universe.

Like the one currently thriving through the city streets. The one he was absolutely _not_ okay with, thank you very much Soundwave.

There was _no_ video evidence to say otherwise. He would make sure of that as soon as he figured out a way to hack into his traitorous best friend's backup security files and wipe them all out.

Really.

This was nonsense.

Complete and total blasphemy of culture is what it was.

But really, we're getting a bit ahead of our selves here. There was much more to Megatron's current majestic brooding over the city streets while his friends and brothers laughed behind his back. It didn't actually start with the song he was _not_ humming under his breath while watching the city sparkle in a wave of blinking lights over a blanket of silver.

It started with Nook's two curious mechlings, Jynx far too willing to make them smile, Bumblebee always up to no good, and the enabling glitches that were Sideswipe and Sunstreaker.

Bah, the indignity Megatron suffered for these fools.

Truly, it was ridiculous.

* * *

"You know," Jynx called, leaning against the door-frame looking in on the spectacle currently being made of Sideswipe.

Or by Sideswipe.

However, you wanted to look at it really. Either way, he was once again in the middle of something he probably shouldn't be. Not a bit surprise there.

"Sometimes, I question my life decisions."

The big red mech, currently hanging upside down from the ceiling of the hanger bay by what looked like an absurd amount of bungy cords and rainbow duct tape there was no telling how much he paid for, had the grace to at least smile sheepishly from his tangled place. Helm snapping up—or in this case down—whole frame failing in an effort to twist himself around so that instead of staring at the wall he could catch sight of the femme leaning in the door. He ended up looking like a plucked hive hawk attempting to get off the ground. Lots of silly, useless movements and not much actual movement. Much to the amusement by the pair of seekerlings roosted on each of his legs.

The high pitched giggles drifting down from the rafters made Jynx's spark hum happily. No matter how much it wanted to clench up at the sight of how high up they were. Let alone the thought of _how_ it was a grounder managed to get himself and them up there.

Tilting her helm back a little bit more she stepped forward a ways to find Dreadwing and Skyquake peeking out from around Sides' calves. Bright red optics framed in adorably sharp blue faces twinkling with mischief. Both of them freeing a hand to wave down at her once they spotted her. Still stubby—but growing fast—wings flapping happily behind their backs as they called out together.

"Hi, Jynx!"

Sideswipe had the sense to keep that sheepish upside-down smile.

"Hello, mechlings." She called back, looking pointedly at the back of Sides' helm when the little mechs' waving got him twisted around away from her again. "What are you doing up there?"

"We flying!" Skyquake called, letting go of Sides' leg to apparently leap himself out into open air. Jynx spark might have accomplished the land speed record for fasting time to ever jump into her throat, but before she could pitch herself across the room in the effort of catching the little mech before he hit the ground, Dreadwing shot out a hand from his perch. Latching hold of his slightly younger brother's wing to pull him back up the same time Sides flung up and hand. Long black fingers catching the small mechling by the chest. Shoving him back upward to hold back to Sides' leg. Scolding no matter how the youngling pouted.

"Hey, now." Sides huffed, staring upward at the pair. Dark blue optics narrowed into a face Jynx was still fascinated that he was capable of making. Playing disciplinarian was not the red brother's favorite thing about their life now, but he would do it when given no other choice. They were very similar in that shared feeling about Dread and Quake. Sunstreaker was the only one of the three of them any good at sticking to discipline strategies.

Then again, that really wasn't surprising.

"What did I say about taking a break?" Sideswipe went on. Shoving Quake by his chest until he was holding tight to the thicker paneling around Sides' calf again. "You're tired, little mech, you need a break."

"No want break." Quake pouted, hiding his face in the dark armor of Sides' leg. "Wanna fly."

"Do what says or not fly at all." Dread point out, one hand still holding tight to his brother's flapping wing.

Quake pouted some more.

"Awe, come on now, little mech." Sideswipe grinned, somehow still managing to bend up there by his waist and pat the little mech on his helm. "We've been having fun, yeah? But I think it's about time we get down."

"Probably a good idea." Jynx agreed, glaring more then a little bit up at the red mech when he decided to shot her a sheepish smile again. "How are you supposed to be getting down, huh?"

"Oh Kitten," He called back to her, blinking those I'm-Innocent-What-Do-You-Mean optics down at her. "You wound me with your lack of faith."

She arched an optic ridge.

The mechlings giggled.

He huffed, ruffling his armor in an affronted way that had more to do with Dread and Quake giggling at him again then it did with being all that annoyed with her. Arms crossing over his chest, he glared down at her in that upside-down hang. If he was trying to look angry at her he should really do something about that smirk tugging at the corners of his lips though.

Jynx rolled her optics, tilting her helm up at him.

Those dark blue optics narrowed. "I'll show you, femme."

Before she could so much as squeak about it, Sides reached out to snag one of the hanging cords near his helm. Giving it a yank the whole mess of tape and cord suddenly came loose with a chorus of snaps and tearing. The mechlings letting out high squeals of excitement as they suddenly came swinging down. Sideswipe flipping once in midair, bunching up to latch hold of the pair clinging to his legs, throwing out the other hand to grab hold of a swinging cord. The three of them swinging down through a rain of drifting tape to land remarkably unharmed on the bouncy surface of one of the sparing rings.

The bright white femme let out a breath she hadn't known she was holding when Sideswipe caught his balance with a short bouncing hop just a bit off center. Arms wrapped snuggly around two giggling blue fliers squirming about his looped arm.

That charming grin curled into place when his dark blue optics sparkled with mischief back at her. Helm shaking lightly, she crossed the open expanse of the hanger bay. Climbing up to slip through the wiggling ropes just in time for the seekerlings to free themselves from Sides' hold. Tripping and bouncing across the shaking ring floor toward her.

She had just enough time to straighten up before they barreled into her. All small grasping claws, soft plating, bubbly laughter, and wild fields full of swelling happiness. Sweeping the pair of them up to swing around while they grasped hand holds in her plating. Hiding their faces in her neck while they laughed. Making her spark surge with warmth and contentment.

It was feeling the likes of which had yet to get old.

"Jynx!" Skyquake giggled out. His noseplate digging into the soft cabling of her throat before he pulled back. That blinding grin beaming up at her when he did.

She leaned down to nuzzle their noseplates together. Giggling along with him as he ducked shily away again in favor of letting Dreadwing press himself up further from his hold on her chest. Nuzzling the bottom of her chin while she purred at him. Until finally she straightened back up. Pulling back enough to get a good look at both of them. Gaze as scolding as she could manage to make it while her field was busy pressing warmly back at their mingled one. It wasn't all that successful a look, but oh well. She was trying, and they seemed to be at least slightly paying attention.

"Did you two forget what orn it is?" She asked, an optic ridge lifted over the rim of her clear visor. Watching as the mirror set of red optics glanced at each other. A question clearly floating between them for a moment. She could tell the nano they remembered what they were supposed to be doing right now too. Dreadwing's mouth opened in an 'o' while Skyquake ducked his helm to hide in her chest.

She let the younger of the brothers have his hiding while she stared at the wary look on the older brother's faceplate.

"Sorry," Dreadwing told her in that still high pitch voice of his. "We forgot."

"Yeah, forgot." Quake nodded against her chest.

She hummed in agreement, optics flickering up to find Sideswipe guiltily rubbing the back of his neck. Steps dragging against the soft floor of the sparring ring as he walked up to them.

"That one is more my fault then theirs, Jynx." He admitted, though there was little to no real guilt in that curl of his lips. "I thought we'd try a flying lesson."

"And you can't leave that for the mechs that can actually _fly_ because?" She snarked at him.

He just shrugged, grin still firmly in place. "Where is the fun in that?"

"How about not breaking yourselves?" She shot back, turning away so that he couldn't see the grin pulling at her own lips. Ducking and hopping out of the ring while the pair of seekerlings giggled. Holding tight to the grooves of her plating as she carried them, making her way to the door. "Besides, I'm gonna be the one Nook yells at for them being late to their lessons. Not you."

Sideswipe following after them with an amused chuckle rumbling deep in his strong chest. Trailing along behind her while she carried the pair back toward the lessons they were supposed to currently be at. Valiantly ignoring the attempts at pouty faces and puppy optics that were shot her way. They knew as well as she did Nook wanted them to have a better education then the meager one he had been able to give them in the desert. Now that the full classes and resources of New Iacon were at hand she did agree it was foolish to not take advantage of any future that could be made available to them.

That didn't mean getting the two excitable young mechs to sit still long enough for anything was an easy task though. Which was why Bluestreak was their teacher and not the nice but rather stressed teachers out among the city. That, and well, Nook trusting random strangers with his mechlings was not something he was capable of.

So, Bluestreak tutored them every other orn. Or more accurately, when he could catch them. Not that Sideswipe was a big help with that.

Smug mech was proud of himself too.

Sunstreaker called him a pushover for little pleading optics.

He was.

* * *

A few floors and much ignoring of pouting from both two little mechs and the big red one following after them Jynx dropped the mechlings at a thankful Bluestreak's door. Dragging Sideswipe after her to keep him from hanging around to make Blue's life harder. Claws lacing through his blunt dark fingers Jynx tugged him after her. Amused by the way the big mech checked more then once over his shoulder to the door where they had left the young brothers.

"You know as well as I do they will be fine." Jynx scolded him lightly. Slowing her steps just enough so that she could tuck herself into his side. Looping his arm over her shoulders while still holding to his fingers. "Bumblebee said he was going to drop by and help Bluestreak show them something, anyway. They'll have fun and Nook will have an orn of peace."

"Neither of us mind watching them for him." Sides argued lightly, but his arm tightened around her all the same. Pulling her harder into his strong side. Walking down the hall with a smile shot down here way.

"True." She nodded to him, leaning her cheek against his ribs. "But we both no that is not the point of this."

"Yeah," The red mech chuckled at that. A deep breath rattling his vents as he threw back his helm to roll his neck. Shaking off whatever lingering feeling was crawling through his spark that he was trying to keep his field from sharing with her. "I never was any good at making Bee do what he didn't want to do when he was that age either, though. I'm a better playmate then I am authority figure."

"You didn't do so bad the other orn when they decided it would be a good idea to go to the Tran station on their own." She offered, feeling the memory roll through with a surge through his field. His fingers tightened around her own for a nano until he got them to loosen up again.

"Primus," He grumbled. "Don't even bring that up. They scared the pit out of us."

Yes, she knew they did.

Sunstreaker and Sideswipe had been a pair of ticking time bombs for the three breams it took them to find the mechlings that orn. While she had been shaking with panic, and they had been angry, Nook had been relatively calm. Worry clear in the lines around his mouth and the tightness in his optics, but he hadn't panicked.

Simply set to work to finding his wayward adopted sons. Having Skywarp and Thundercracker to search from above had helped quite a bit on keeping him calm too though. Not to mention that once word got around the compound that the mechlings were gone, _everybot_ dropped what they were doing to find them.

When Soundwave, Prowl, and Red Alert set their minds to something, it got done rather quickly. It was Sideswipe and Sunstreaker that had found them wondering around the Tran station though. Jynx had gone with Nook to search the east end of the station while the twins had taken the west.

It was safe to say that by the time she and Nook had ran the distance between the two they found two thoroughly chastised mechlings, sniffling out apologies as they had hidden in Nook's chest while he carried them home. The elder twins had felt awful about making the mechlings cry later, but Jynx took care of that.

The fact that Sides and Sunny had gotten rather attached to the tiny twins that came stumbling into their lives became rather clear after that. Not that Jynx had doubted it.

"Yes," She agreed, holding his fingers a little tighter. "The point I was trying to make though, is they're not going anywhere and they'll be fine. Don't worry about them. You're making me look like I don't care."

"As if anybot could ever think that." That got her a playful glare, before Sides picked at the sensitive wiring behind her sensors. Sending a surge of tingling feeling through her neural net to which she gasped, shoved him hard in the hip, and took of after him as he bolted down the hallway laughing.

* * *

Hoping back and forth between the couch cushions laid out on Bluestreak's floor Skyquake wobbled his way across the floor without actually touching it. Stubby blue wings thrown out as wide as they would go to keep his balance.

The pale grey tile of Bluestreak's living room was, at the moment, currently a vast field of lava that Dreadwing had foolishly got himself stuck in the middle of. It was up to Quake to navigate himself across the treacherous field of molten slag to save his petrified brother trapped on the floating table.

One carefully planned wobbly step after wobbly step he inched his way closer across the deadly obstacle. Swaying this way and that over the steaming, bubbling surface of certain death while he tried to reach his obviously frozen with terror twin.

Dreadwing glanced up over his shoulder at that thought drifting through the slightly smaller mech. Optic ridges drawn together over his bright red optics while he huffed. Rolling said red pools before turning his attention back to his copy of the datapad they were _supposed_ to be reading. The one that Skyquake was using as a surf board to scoot across the floor on.

Laying on his front with his legs dangling over his back and his chin propped up on his palms he browsed through the lesson Bluestreak had given them this orn. It was about that planet, Earth, the one he talked about so much.

Something about a holiday based on culture and seasons in which apparently a lot of meaning went behind as well as a great deal of fun. Dread couldn't quite figure out the concept of all of it, but it sounded a lot like New Vorns Eve to him.

He supposed.

He could probably understand it better if Quake wasn't constantly tugging at his half of their bond bugging him to play. Like Bluestreak hadn't told him to study the text and that he would quiz them in a few klicks after he returned with lunch.

Dreadwing had taken the instructions for what they were and went to reading. Quake had taken them as an excuse for Dread to read it and him to play in the mean time. Because of that, the slightly older blue mechling was hiding his plan of shoving Quake off into the 'lava' when he wobbled his way over here in spite.

It would serve the other right.

He wasn't going to coast through his whole life on what Dreadwing knew for him.

Quake payed no mind to his brother's brooding in favor of hopping his way across the last throw pillow to climb up onto the table his brother was laying on. It was only through the greatest of warrior skills that Quake was able to dodge the ped that kicked out at him once he got there.

The wind milling of arms and started squeak was truly the reaction any warrior would have to suddenly be shoved toward deadly lava by their own blasted twin. The little blue mechling felt completely justified in tackling Dread after the got his balance back.

It was totally _his_ fault that they rolled off the table and landed into the lava below after that.

"Gah!" Quake choked. Flopping out onto his back with a dramatic flail of arms. "Death!"

Dreadwing shoved himself up right, out from under the flailing his brother was doing. Rolling his optics while he maneuvered back around to a seated position. Picking up his datapad from where Quake was kicking it with death tremors. Pulling it into his lap while he glared down as his gasping and twitching brother. The tongue sticking out of his mouth was going a bit overboard if one asked Dreadwing.

"You not dying." Dread huffed, kicking lightly at Quake's twitching leg.

"Am too." The younger mech muttered around his tongue stuck out of his mouth. Optics closed as he gasped out his last breaths.

"No not." Dread huffed. "Me not dying, you obviously not dying."

"Obviously," Quake mocked, suddenly pushing himself back up right to glare about his game being ended. "You copyin' stuff TC say again."

"Am not!" Dreadwing huffed, the heat of a guilty blush splashing across his cheeks.

Quake laughed, poking at his older brother's flared out wings. "Ha! See! Is! Don't even know what that means."

"Do to!"

"Do not!"

"Do to!"

"Do _not_!"

"Hey, hey, hey, what's going on here?" Both mechlings looked up from their shouting match to find Bluestreak standing in the doorway holding a few cubes of energon with Bumblebee smirking over her shoulder.

At the sight of the grinning yellow mech, all notion of their argument was forgotten. Both younglings scrambling up in a blur of movement and an excited shout of the mech's name.

Running across the room to throw themselves at his peds. Scaling him as easily as they did other bots until they were plastered up against his chest. One on each side while they beamed at him.

It earned them a light chuckle from the yellow mech striped in black while he carried them back into the room letting the door shut behind them. Bluestreak following them via setting the cubes on the table once he righted it again. Assessing his scattered pillows and datapads laying around, he placed his hands on his hips. Turning to regard the pair of mechlings clinging to Bee's chest.

Skyquake ducked his helm to hide in Bee's neck while Dreadwing puffed up like an offended robo-cat.

"He not study." The elder brother tattled. "Me was trying."

"Hey!" The littler brother hissed, swiping at his twin only for Bumblebee to suddenly scruff them and pull them apart. The pair going still as they found themselves dangling over the floor by their scruff bars.

"You wanna swipe at each other you can do it from your berth in Nook's room after he spanks you both and sends you there."

The pair wilted.

"You know better than to squabble like sparklings. Or are you not very big younglings who turned thirty this last vorn?"

"Not sparklings!" Quake pouted, frowning mightily up at Bee's bright blue optics. Dreadwing just hung there sulking.

"Then don't squabble like a pair of them, and do what Blue tells you to. Or I won't show you my special surprise to go with this orn's lessons."

It didn't take much after that to quiet down the excited shouting. Bumblebee simply sat them down in front of Blue's vid screen and popped in the disc copy. Falling back onto the couch next to Blue as the title music started playing. Watching the two mechlings perk up at the song and the movie that quickly started afterward.

Blue shook his helm with a fond roll of his optics as he gathered up the pads from their lessons.

"Shoving them in front of a movie does not a proper alien culture lesson make." Blue chided. "I had another half of a lesson plan worked out."

"Since when have I ever been beneficial to education?" Bee teased him back. "Besides, I think you've lost them for this orn, Blue."

The grey Praxian turned his helm back to watch the little mechs riveted in front his vid screen watching a green who-something or other plot the end of Christmas inside Mt. Crumpet. It was the quietest Skyquake had been all orn. Not to mention the most attention he had paid as he lay with his helm on his brother's shoulder.

With an amused smile, Bluestreak admitted defeat. "Well, at least its teaching them something."

Bumblebee chuckled quietly. "Much more than Quake would have learned otherwise."

He wasn't wrong with that one. Their classes really weren't the younger seekerling's thing. While Dreadwing was usually very interested in what Bluestreak had to teach them, Skyquake couldn't care less. Blue was pretty sure that was one of those twin things coming out again.

The movie itself was not long, so it wasn't any surprise that Blue and Bee's momentary quiet was short lived. What neither of them expected though was the sudden lapful each of happily bouncing youngling chattering too fast to understand. All flapping wings, and waving arms, and high pitch rambling voices. A million questions flying a nano until Blue had a grasp hold of both of the hopping mechlings just to get them to slow down and go back to speaking basic. He had never been well gifted with binary.

"Woah, woah, slow down, mechlings." He hushed them with a smile. Petting over Skyquake's quivering wings behind his back in an effort to calm the still bouncing youngling down. "Slow down and speak clearly."

The little twins paused.

Bouncing and chirping trailing off just long enough for them to look at each other. Big red optics filled with a whole conversation neither Blue nor Bee could even begin to grasp before Quake threw himself back against Bluestreak's front.

"We wanna have Christmas!"

The Praxian blinked. "Huh?"

"Christmas." Dreadwing said again, bouncing on Bee's leg as those big red optics darted back and forth between both of them. "Like Whoville have."

"Yeah!" Quake cheered, spinning once before beaming back at Blue again. "Want tree, and candy, and presents, and lights, and all those pretty music things."

"And like said in lesson." Dreadwing added on. "Like New Vorns. Happen at end of vorn, in winter. There is family coming, and presents given, and lots of happy. It be good cul-cul-cult-cul—"

"Cultural understanding." Bluestreak offered, bemusement mixing with amusement as he stared between the beaming brother.

"Yeah!" Quake nodded happily. "That. It be that. It be ed-u-kay-sa-mul."

"Educational." Blue offered.

"Yeah. Ed-u-kay-su-mul." The littlest brother nodded right along, grinning all the time, very obviously proud of his wording which was bound to convince their teacher to give them want they wanted.

Bumblebee snickered.

Bluestreak sighed. "Close enough, I suppose. We'll work on that word."

"It be fun." Dread prodded, poking at Blue's smiling face until his hands were caught and pulled away.

"Lights, and presents, and big green tree, and we put lights all over it, and we have party, and Grinch can try take it but TC will make him not, and we have Christmas! Please! It be fun! Can cover compound to! Put light _everywhere_! Like said in lesson! Lights big part of it." Skyquake pleaded, latching hold of Bluestreak's neck and swaying back and forth. Blinking those big red optics up at him while Dreadwing grinned into Bee's twinkling optics.

Bluestreak, honestly, didn't know how to respond all this.

Have . . . Christmas? On Cybertron?

As in adopt the holiday?

That . . . that couldn't work . . . .

Could it?

Twisting to the side, he shot Bumblebee a look. Trying to come up with some way to tell two overly excited younglings that there really wasn't any way for them to have the Earth holiday here. No bot would go for it. A bit more open minded their race might be, but full on culture mashing was not really going to work here.

Not this close to New Vorns. Not when the celebrations were so overwhelmingly different. Christmas was more then just lights and presents to the humans. Wasn't that one of the main points of The Grinch?

Blue didn't really blame the pair of mechlings for looking at the shiny, and the new, and the promise of fun that the concept presented to them. However, it wasn't quite as simple as they were trying to make it.

Then again, nothing really was when younglings were concerned.

The last thing Blue expected though was for his gaze to find Bumblebee smiling that smirk of his. That one that made Blue's doorwings sag a bit behind his back in the realization that they were about to likely be in a whole lot of trouble.

Because that smile, _that smile_ was the one Bumblebee wore when he had an idea. An awful idea. When Bee got a wonderful, awful idea.

* * *

A few floors away, Jynx sat cross legged on a stool watching Sunstreaker sketch with a blanket wrapped around her shoulders to fight off the winter chill drifting in through the open windows along the far wall.

The big golden mech currently burrowed in blueprints called it refreshing, that it was helping him figure out how the design of the room needed to go.

Jynx and Sides called it fraggin' cold.

The red brother had found something to occupy himself with though. His welding torch in hand he was tackling some of the cosmetic damage to the shelves behind the countertop. He had decided he wanted a series of mirrors and vid screens up there. Sunstreaker said he'd have to figure out how to wire it himself.

So, while both brothers were working on their latest project she sat in the middle of the open, empty space trying to picture what they had in mind. As of yet she didn't see what this safety hazard of a building was going to become, but she trusted the clever gleam in their optics to at least be worth a shot.

At the moment there wasn't much for her to do, but sitting around simply feeling the relaxed air of their fields was task enough for this orn. That is, at least, what she had planned until her comm rang.

Sensors fluttering in their grooves at the pinging drifting across her processor she turned her focus inward at the jingle of sound.

 **"** **Hey, Love, you busy?"**

 **"** **Nook?"** She questioned as the slightly different tone of his inner voice drifted through the comm waves. **"Nah, just watching Sides and Sunny work. What's up?"**

 **"** **Come on down to Blue's if you don't mind. There is something you need to see."**

The hint of humor in his voice was enough of a clue to tell her that at least nothing was wrong. **"Yeah, okay, be there in a nano."**

 **"** **And bring those two big mechs of yours as well. I have a feeling they're going to want to be in on this."**

Huh, well now, didn't that sound interesting.

 **"** **On the way."**

* * *

Blinking, Jynx stood beside Nook in the middle of Bluestreak's living room watching the end credits of . . . _that_ roll by for the second time. The first time Bee flicked on the movie after she and the twins scooted themselves into the now rather tightly packed room the younglings had been too busy loudly pleading at Nook for her to catch half of what was going on. The second time around Thundercracker plucked them both up and roosted them between his wings to let them pout in quiet.

It wasn't hard to get drawn into the rather odd cartoon playing away on the screen after that. Ignoring the hulking form of Thundercracker standing near the wall behind Blue's couch with the pouting younglings. Skywarp was rocking happily on one of Blue's chairs completely absorbed in the show while Bee and Blue stayed where they had been on the couch. Sideswipe and Sunstreaker—who apparently already knew this Earth movie—were leaning against the wall near Thundercracker.

As the end of the movie rolled by for a second time Jynx found herself still staring at the blank screen for a while longer until finally she turned around. Bright silver gaze cutting through her visor to find Bluestreak nervously twirling his thumbs.

"I'm confused."

Bumblebee let out a chuckle, looking far too pleased with himself from his place on the couch. "It's the Grinch."

"We gathered that much." Nook huffed at him, but the twitching of his doorwings behind his back was amused. "I think she meant, why did we need to watch a silly Earth youngling video?"

"We want Christmas!" It was not the first time the mechlings had said that, and it had yet to make any sense to the femme.

"I think it's a wonderful idea." Bee added oh so very helpfully.

"I think you're gonna get us in trouble." Bluestreak sighed. "You know how Megatron feels about Earth stuff. Wheeljack annoys him enough with all the fuel based on Earth food."

"Megs is a drama queen." The yellow mech shrugged.

Well, he wasn't really wrong.

They all deemed it best not to respond to that though. Said drama queen still was one of the volatile moods that ran this place. Annoying him was only beneficial when it was somebot else that got to suffer his temper tantrum that would follow.

"Before we go plotting Megatron's next helm ache," Thundercracker intervened, seeming rather busy with the two seekerlings currently scrambling around his armor giggling to themselves and singing some absurd nonsense about jingling bells. Those dark red optics of his amused when he lifted his gaze from their playing. High off the floor they might be but there was on way those sure little claws of theirs would lose the magnet hold they had on the big blue mech. Nor would he let them. "Perhaps those of us that have actually been to Earth, and experienced said holiday, should share a bit more details with those that haven't. After all, Bluestreak, Nook and Jynx weren't at your lesson."

"But it would be fun!" Skywarp's sudden bounce up from his chair earned a giggle from the mechlings to which those yellow optics of his gleamed at.

"Fun it might be, Warp, but just wait a bit, alright?"

The overgrown mechling pouted much the same way the two little ones currently clinging to TC's chest were doing. It was a testament to just how much the big blue seeker was exposed to said pouting that he didn't so much as twitch an optic ridge.

Jynx had yet to master the skill of ignoring the puppy optics. Even now her spark clenched a bit at their pathetic faces.

"Christmas," Bluestreak took up, pulling optics back to him. "Is an Earth holiday that happens once every one of their years. It has a verity of meaning to different cultures on the planet but the over all gest of it is about being joyful and giving to others."

"So, are their lots of strange green creatures that attempt to steal it?" Jynx tilted her helm.

Sideswipe suddenly had a very suspicious coughing fit. Sunstreaker elbowed him in the ribs.

Jynx ignored them both.

Blue's lips twitched in a repressed smile that he didn't manage to keep out of his doorwings, but at least his voice was level. "Umm, no, the Grinch is just a cartoon. He's not real. That doesn't actually happen on Earth."

"What _does_ happen?" Nook pressed, crossing his arms lazily over his chest while his doorwings twitched in interest. "And why do my younglings want to participate in it?"

"Ed-u-kay-su-mul!" Skyquake shouted from his place dangling by his peds and claws from one of Thundercracker's outstretched arms.

"Educational." Bluestreak corrected with a heavy sigh. "It is pronounced, Ed-u-ca-tion-al, Quake. We've got to work on that."

"That what me said!" Quake snorted, glaring from his upside down hang. "Ed-u-kay-su-mul."

"Him say it different." Dreadwing pointed out, from where he sat behind Thundercracker's neck with his legs wrapped around him and his chin resting on the grown seeker's helm.

"Does not!"

"Does too!"

"Does not!"

"Does too!"

"Does not!"

"Does too!"

Nook sighed, turning his mismatched green and gold gaze toward the grown set of twins chuckling at the spectacle that was the younglings currently trying to shout each other's audios out around Thundercracker's helm. Remarkably the huge blue mech simply stood there looking board. Jynx was rather impressed.

"Please tell me they will eventually grow out of this?" The bright green striped in gold Praxian pleaded with a teasing smirk toward the grown brothers.

A shared smile split across handsome silver faces when they spoke together. "Did we?"

Jynx busted out laughing as Bumblebee did the same. Nook suddenly looked very tired. Amused, but tired.

"Point taken."

"Alright, enough of that." Thundercracker suddenly rumbled, the squabbling younglings melting under the tone. Scrambling back around the mech's frame until they were hiding behind his wings again. "You were explaining something, Blue?"

"Oh, right, yes." The grey mech nodded quickly. "Well, you see, I told you were doing a lecture about alien culture this orn, right?"

"I remember." Nook nodded back. "It's a big universe out there, and you've seen a different lot of it then me. They should learn about that."

"Well, I was. But Quake was getting rather bored with all my rambling so Bee figured it wouldn't hurt to go ahead and show them the video we decided would go along could with this lesson. You see, I was focusing on Earth for this one, and since it is so close to New Vorns Eve and they have a similar two celebrations to that. I started with Christmas because it seemed the thing that would interest them the most and help pull them into the lesson. The human's put a lot of Christmas energy toward children—their younglings. It is them that the myths are told for, and the celebrations kept. It is supposed to be, as they put it, magical for them. To capture the magic younglings bring and express it in everything around them."

"Well that's a neat concept." Jynx offered, liking the idea.

"Go on." Nook pressed, and so Blue did.

He talked of religious . . . something neither Jynx nor Nook understood for a while. For it became obvious the humans placed a good deal of spiritual meaning behind this celebration. Jynx realized it must be like a lot of the Old Temple's Holy orns. Things she knew nothing about, but well, she could understand them at least. Then he talked of the changes time had brought to the celebration. How, when they had last been to Earth, it had been full of music, and laughter. That glittering lights hung all around brought out wonder and beauty to the simplest of things. He talked of myths and magic, and a strangely important mutilated flying deer of some kind.

In the end of the rather long summary Jynx was left sitting cross legged on Blue's small drink table next to Nook. Skyquake and Dreadwing had long since grown bored with the talking and—as younglings their age did—promptly fell into a dozing recharge. Curled together in a blue ball of plating so tangled together it was hard to tell where one mechling started and the other ended in Skywarp's lap. The black and purple seeker purring deeply in his chest, optics nearly shuttered, glowing warm with contentment while he pet careful claws down their still slightly squishy wings.

In short—they were adorable.

Jynx, however, was a bit distracted by the information she was processing. Nook was still oddly silent. Thumb stroking thoughtfully down his chin while he stared sort of distantly at Bluestreak. Unbothered by the stare—they were rather use to each other by this point—the younger grey mech simply flapped his doorwings in a questioning manner. The others sitting and leaning around the room had already been well versed in the subject and were simply watching the two of them ponder. Eventually though, since Nook was staying quiet, Jynx shifted in her place. She wasn't even sure where to start. Because really, red dressed reverse burglar and mutated deer with songs written about them was a lot to take in, but she hummed and flexed her sensors.

"You're telling me there is actually an alien race that tells their younglings magic mutated deer fly an overweight, overly-jolly reserve burglar around to bring gifts to a whole planet in one night . . . and they believe it?"

Sideswipe feel off the back of the couch laughing, while Sunstreaker smacked his palm into his forehelm.

Jynx ignored them both. The feelings they were sending were annoying enough.

She was not . . . _cute_. They both needed to mute it.

Bumblebee chuckled quietly into his shoulder, trying to hide from the glare she shot him. Glaring at the young yellow mech was a bit like glaring at the mechlings though. It never worked in the long run for her. It was impossible to stay mad at them.

It was Thundercracker that saved all the laughing fools from her temper slipping a bit more though, as he murmured. "She's not wrong, you know."

Bluestreak had to nod, it was that or risk start laughing like the other mechs and earn Jynx's temper himself. "It is a rather accurate description, true. We do not have such myths for younglings. If you haven't seen it, seen how they enjoy it, I understand it is strange."

"It sounds rather nice to me." Nook said softly, his mismatched optics flickering over to his pair of slumbering younglings. "We could all use a bit more magic and joy in our lives."

The room sobered quite rapidly at that.

All optics drifting over to where the little mechs lay curled together. All lost in different thoughts that revolved around the same thing. Then, quietly Sunstreaker murmured.

"What exactly did you have in mind, Bee?"

Surprise flickering across Nook's features as he shot his gaze to the golden twin. " _You_ want to do this?"

Sunstreaker shrugged. "Where is the harm in letting them have a party?"

"How do we make Christmas?" Jynx tilted her helm. "We don't have trees, or magic deer, or . . . any of it?"

"I was actually thinking something a bit bigger then just that." Bee replied, his antennas flicking up and down with mischief.

The older bots all pinned their optics on him.

"How much bigger?" TC rumbled.

Bee's optics flickered to Nook. "You're the one that said we could use some magic and joy."

And suddenly, Nook was grinning.

* * *

"No." Megatron huffed, not looking up from the reports he was signing.

"Awe come on, Megs!" Bumblebee pleaded, leaning on his palms on the front of the massive grey mech's desk.

"I said no." The eldest prince grumbled.

"Yes, but it's a stupid thing to say, so I'm ignoring it and asking again." Bumblebee shot right back. He knew there was a reason the others had shoved him into this office to do the asking. It was his idea after all. Easier, and much more simple, would be to just go along with Blue's idea and have a small celebration between their rooms for the mechlings. They would enjoy it and it would be enough.

Bee didn't want to settle for that enough though.

He wanted to see the magic he had seen before. He wanted to bring it to his world that could desperately use a source of cheer. He wanted to see that wonder that had filled two sets of young red optics to fill many more. He wanted to see his family glow with it. And so help him, he would give everybot magic even if he had to force it on them!

Call him spoiled, but what Bumblebee wanted; Bumblebee got. One way or another. Even if he had to piss off the second most powerful mech on this planet because he was being a stupid aft.

Finally, dark red optics lifted to him. The concentration Megatron had held a few moments prior clearly snapped in the scowl that tugged at his frim faceplate. It was clear, at least to one that knew the prince well, that he was not angry. He was simply annoyed.

What aspect annoyed him was not hard to guess either.

It was no secret Megatron hated Earth. He hated the planet, the humans, and every damn memory that went along with them. Manly, because most of it, he couldn't truly remember. It was something that came and went through the big mech's past. A left over treat from the wanna-be god that had had wrapped his mind in a fist and shattered his own self-will.

Bumblebee knew it was a concept that was still hard for Megatron. Partly for pride and partly for shame. A long way they had come since a swirling cloud of space dust decided their destinies and The Fallen had lost control of Megatron's mind, but some wounds never healed. Their race was a hard one to scar, but the ones that formed for there forever.

That was why Bee was clinging so hard to this sudden idea of magic.

They were an old race, most of their myths and magic lost to war and struggle. There was little more then reality left for them, and reality was hard most orns. Was it such a bad idea to want to borrow some magic from another and share it with their own?

Who cared if it was a human concept? Wonder was wonder, and it could do a lot of good.

He had shared in it on Earth, and in his mind bringing it here would not be so different. That is, if he could get the proper help. With Sides, Sunny, Blue, and TC they could pull off a bit of it. He knew the twins and the big seeker were already scheming about things to do for the little ones, but to get what he wanted he was going to need more than just them. He was going to need access to things he didn't have clearance for. Something Optimus could and would willingly give him should he go and ask his other adopted sire, but Megatron was legally the one that needed to be asked.

Optimus was Prime; he governed, he led, he ran the orn to orn lives of this world. Megatron was Protector, he worked behind his brothers to make everything run. To keep all safe and everything running smoothly. From the little to the big, in the end he had control of it, and that included the power grids.

Bee needed those power grids.

So here he was.

Because he could sneak into the grids himself and do the wiring, but then he'd spend a cycle in a jail cell until Mia managed to get him out under the pretense that he was too old to be grounded. That didn't mean Bee wasn't weighing the options though.

For deep down, he knew, convincing Megatron of this would not work. There was no way he would say yes.

Bee would try though.

"Lenience above all else you are granted, Bumblebee." Megatron said evenly to him, the look in those red optics made the young yellow mech wilt. It had been a long time since anybot made him feel younger then he was. "You have earned it. But only so far. On a whim you cannot force an alien culture on a whole city. No matter how much you think it will help things. You also cannot have control over their very lives in the manner of the power grid. You want to have a damn squishy celebration for Nook's sons in your own rooms then fine. I have no power to stop you, but you cannot take it to the streets. I will not deal with the repercussions should your wire-hare plan fall flat. Nor will I deal with the opinions of those who you will offend. I have enough to do as it is."

"You're just saying no because you hate humans!" Bee huffed back, his doorwings and winglets high and tight behind him as he glared.

"If that is your only argument then you know already what you say is foolish."

Bright, baby blue orbs narrowed into thin slits.

"Fine."

And with that, he spun and stalked out. Leaving the eldest prince sitting there staring after him. Megatron knew that wasn't the end of it, but at the moment, he didn't care. Let the young mech get himself into trouble. He was good at that. At least now, Optimus couldn't claim he wasn't warned.

* * *

"He said no." Sideswipe didn't ask it from where he stood leaning against the wall a few halls down from where Bumblebee had tried to reason out what the three of them had known he couldn't.

Bumblebee didn't give a verbal answer. Simply shot the much taller frontliner brothers a glare as he stalked by. His doorwings high and tight behind his back while his winglets wiggled in agitation lower down his back strut.

Dark blue optics shared a look before both Sides and Sunny shoved off the wall. Falling into step, one on either side of the fuming young mech. The first one they had helped raise.

"You knew he would say no." Sunstreaker remarked quietly, arms cross loosely over his chest to keep him from reaching down and poking at Bee's quivering winglets. It was a surefire way to make the young mech laugh seeing as it was the most ticklish part of his frame. The twins had been using that move since those winglets had grown in.

Sides more then Sunny, granted, but neither liked when their link with their adopted little brother filled up with anger that he wasn't supposed to know.

"When has that ever stopped us before?" Sides offered.

"We need a tree." Bumblebee grumbled back. "A _very_ big tree."

"Cybertron doesn't have trees, Bee." Sides countered. "But I think I might have an idea about that."

"Okay, you two handle the trees. Trees, as in more than one. Lots. Lots and lots, but one really big one. I'll handle the power grid. TC said he'd get Whirl and Cyclonus' help with the lights. Skywarp is going to go with Nook, Jynx, and the mechlings to handle the decorations. We meet back up in two breams."

"I thought this was supposed to be about joy, cheer, and magic?" Sunstreaker's lips pulled into every so slight of a smile. Teasing the only appropriate reaction to when Bee got in this much of a fit.

"I'm perfectly cheerful!" The young yellow mech snapped back.

Mirror optic ridges lifted in unison on two different but the same faceplates.

"Yes," Sunstreaker drawled back. "Obviously. Perfectly cheerful! How ever could we have missed such a fact, brother?"

"I have no idea, brother." Sideswipe shot right back. "Maybe its because the youngling has forgotten just how much he broadcasts."

And just like that, Bumblebee wilted.

All the anger, tension, and building fight draining out of him until his whole being sagged. His steps slowly until he was standing there sagged staring at the floor. Sideswipe on his left, Sunstreaker on his right. The pair of brothers silent under the wild flex of that field they knew so well. Feeling it shift through Bee's hope, his anger, his planning, his confusion.

The storm of emotions made the golden brother sigh while the crimson lifted a hand to cup the back of his neck to pull the younger into his space. Letting his field flex out with a reassuring playful push. Continuing to poke and press until Bee finally lifted those bright optics again. Staring into that darker shade with a nervousness that made the brothers bite back the urge to wrap him up. To treat him like the youngling he no longer wanted to be seen as.

"Bee, what is really the matter? This doesn't have to be as big a deal as you're trying to make it." Sides asked him softly.

"It will make the little mechs happy."

"You're not just doing this because of Dread and Quake." Sunstreaker softly scolded him. "If you just wanted to make them grin we could string glitter and paint a tree on their wall. They would be more than happy."

"They want lights, and trees, and all that Blue told them about."

"Younglings want lots of things, that doesn't mean they always need them. Nor should get them." Sides shook his helm.

"So, what?" Bee huffed, straightening up to glare back at the dark blue optics around him. "Does that mean you don't want to do it anymore? Because I can do it with or without you!"

"That, Bee." Sunstreaker said. "That right there is what we are talking about."

"What's wrong, Half Pint?" Sideswipe flicked him over his wilting antennas.

Bee said nothing, simply standing there scuffing his ped against the floor with his arms crossed tightly over his chest.

"Come on, mechling." Sides sighed, as the silence stretched on. "What is it?"

"It's just . . . I saw how happy this celebration made some of the humans. You did too. I just . . . I wanted it to work here. We don't have things like that. Celebrations that are like that. We don't have silly myths to tell sparklings to let them believe in magic. We don't have things that make grown bots happy enough to be like some humans were. New Vorns is as close as we get and its . . . well its presents and its family and it welcomes the new vorn but . . . its not the same. I just wanted us to have some of that magic. We deserve a little happiness after all this . . . don't you think?"

The mumbled words made the twins share a look.

Quietly, Sunny said. "So you decided to steal Christmas."

"Umm . . . more like borrow it for a while?" Bee offered.

"If this plan of yours work I don't think we'll be giving it back, Half Pint." Sides shrugged. "But who says that's a bad thing? You're not wrong, we could all use a little magic."

Slowly, those bright blue optics lifted. Sparks of hope shimmering in their depths when they glanced back and forth between the two larger mechs.

"Really?" It was tentative as it rolled off his tongue, the sound making the split spark between the two clench a bit.

"You didn't think we'd help you?" Sides huffed.

"We said we would." Sunstreaker pointed out.

"I . . . I just want it to work."

"So, it will." Sides nodded. "Go find Jazz, get to work on the power grid. We'll call when we've got the trees."

Bee nodded quickly to the words then took off like a shot down the hall. Leaving the pair of red and gold staring after him for a few klicks. Both silently appraising until Sides whispered.

"I think he might be in need of a little joy himself."

Sunstreaker just stared.

* * *

"Me not get." Skyquake muttered, laying on his belly beside his twin watching Nook and Jynx do . . . something.

"Megatron said no." Dreadwing replied, shrugging as he lay with his helm propped on his palms.

Quake pouted. "But . . . wanna Christmas. Christmas fun. Why say no?"

"Him Grinch." Dread informed him in the matter-of-fact manner that only younglings could.

Quake's optics widened quite a bit as they shot to the mirror set looking back at him. "Him is?"

Dread hummed a positive. "Uh-huh. Just like show. Him try to steal Christmas but it come no matter. TC and Nook will do. You see. Jynx and Sides and Sunny help. We help to."

"Huh." Quake nodded, twisting a bit to look back at Jynx and Nook laying out long rolls of copper wire while Skywarp bounced around babbling happily. They had come down to one of Jacky's storage rooms to go through things that neither little mech had any idea what were. They had been left to perch in a box filled with soft rags to watch them work. "We help too?"

"Yep." Dread nodded. "Nook will want."

"Okay." Quake nodded. "But . . . that mean . . . song about Megs?"

Very suddenly, Dreadwing's optics lit up with mischief.

"This should work for that sparkly stuff strung all over everywhere." Jynx offered, pulling at the strings of glittery copper line they had found.

Skywarp was very insistent that _tinsel_ was a thing that they had to have. He was already babbly about how they needed to weave the wire into long strands and string it around. Well, pretty much everywhere. Jynx wasn't sure they could pull it off to that degree, but she did think the images that Blue showed her would be fun.

"We've got a lot of braiding to do." Nook agreed. "But yeah, it should work."

Warp let out a very happy giggle.

And then, suddenly, there came a sound. Quiet at first, but growing louder every few nanos until both Jynx and Nook spun around to take in the sight of Quake and Dread swaying happily together as they sang.

"You're a mean one, Megatron." Dread drawled in a high squeak.

"You really are a heel!" Quake added in around a giggle.

"You're cuddly as a cactus, you're as charming as a slim-eel, Megatron." Dread went on, the words a little stuttered and stilted, as younglings there age normally were. But it was the clearest sentences the pair had ever managed to string together.

The two of them falling into laughter after that. Grasping at each other around bubbles of laughter while Jynx and Nook were left blinking at them with wide slightly confused optics. And then, it clicked.

"The Grinch song." Skywarp laughed lighted at the bell like sounds of youngling giggles. "They make Grinch song about Megatron. That so funny! Him make very good Grinch."

Silver optics slid to the mismatched pair of green and gold.

They both burst out laughing.

* * *

Thundercracker was not a very festive mech.

Granted, there weren't really many festivals left on Cybertron, but there were a few. And none of them really held all that much interest to huge mech. He did what he could to make Warp enjoy them, and now he did far more for the younglings, but not since he was young and Vos had still shown had he _enjoyed_ any kind of celebration.

He normally was the one standing back in corner watching through narrow optics as all the others around him made fools of themselves.

That was the part he found amusing.

And yet, here he stood.

Staring at his tri-mated friend's large door trying to figure out just how he was going to explain all this to his ex-general best friend. The one that hated festivals more than TC did. The one that would have to manage his less than calm mates. The one that currently had a very young sparkling. The one that was likely to punch him in the nose.

Oh well.

Lifting his hand, the big blue seeker knocked his knuckles against the smooth grey surface. Letting it fall again as he heard a high voice call out on the other side.

"Just a klick!"

Stepping back slightly, Thundercracker let his optics lower to the height of the mech that would undoubtedly be appearing in three, two, one—

"Thundercracker!" Tailgate was a bubbly as ever. The mini-mech obviously happy to see him even if his visor and his mask hid his features. He was animated enough that such expressions were not needed to show what he was expressing. "How are you? What can I do for you?"

"Are Whirl and Cyc in?" Thundercracker questioned softly.

Tailgate nodded quickly, optics glowing behind his visor. "Yes, yes, just a moment. Come on in, I'll get them."

Doing as he was asked, the seeker stepped into the spacious living area. Waiting as Tailgate hurried into a back section of the house only to reappear a moment later with Whirl and Cyclonus in tow.

"Well if it isn't big boy blue." Whirl's gleaming yellow optics matched the curl of his smirk as the long, lanky blue helicopter mech strolled in following his littlest mate.

"Hello, Whirl" Thundercracker nodded. "Cyclonus."

"Thundercracker," The larger purple shuttle nodded back to him. The pair of large mechs following their much smaller mate until they were all stopped in front of him. "What do you need?"

"Your help." The seeker answered easily. Watching interest perk up in both the yellow set of optics as well as the dark red.

"In what?" Cyclonus asked.

"Bumblebee's latest scheme."

Whirl's smirk cranked up a few degrees. "Oh really, and what's the young mech up to this time?"

"And how did you get dragged into it?" Cyclonus finished.

"He wants to steal Christmas and bring it here."

Three sets of fields flexed in surprise. Different shades of optics searching each other out in question only to return to him in confused blinks. Quiet reining between them for a few klicks before Cyclonus huffed.

"You're being serious."

"Yes." TC nodded.

"And you are agreeing to it?" Cyclonus huffed.

"It was actually Dread and Quake's idea to begin with."

"Ah." Realization flickering through all three mates. A sudden smile beaming in Tailgate's visor while Cyclonus nodded and Whirl smirked.

"Megatron has said no. As was predicted." Thundercracker went on.

"And as predicted ya'll are doing it anyway." Whirl cackled.

TC nodded.

"Oh, I like this." The copter mech grinned all the wider. His copper faceplate scrunching with it. "Do you have any idea the trouble I can cause with that."

"It's not supposed to be about trouble."

"We know." Cyclonus rumbled, casting a glare at his giggling mate. "What kind of help do you need?"

"Stringing lights."

Both big fliers blinked.

Tailgate titled his little helm. "Is that all?"

"All over the outside of the compound, and a bit more." Thundercracker finished.

Oh.

Well.

That did sound like a rather large task.

"Where exactly are you going to get the lights?" Cyclonus questioned.

"That's the part you're really not going to like, but Whirl is going to love." TC let his own smirk fall into place.

* * *

Bumblebee didn't bother with knocking.

Instead, he walked through the office doors with out so much as a pause. Strolling across the room and plopping himself down right in the big middle of Jazz's desk. Scattering datapads, pens, mugs, and a rather complicated looking game of card stacking.

His sudden plop on the desk had the silver, visor wearing mech sitting behind it leaning back in his seat. Blue visor flashing as his card game came tumbling down around his peds.

For a moment, there was silence.

Jazz looking at the cards on the floor while Bee grinned down at Jazz. Then, slowly, the saboteur lifted his gaze.

"I was on a roll." Was all Jazz said. Leaning further back in his chair to cross his arms over his chest. Optics gleaming behind his visor as he watched the young yellow mech looking back at him.

"You wanna help me break into the power grid, reroute about half a city block of power, and break several laws you helped write so we can power a massive Christmas party because everybot around here could seriously use some magic?"

For a moment, Jazz blinked.

Then; "Megatron said no, right?"

"Yep."

"This has something to do with Dreadwing and Skyquake, right?"

"Yep, again."

"Nook ain't gonna get mad, right?"

"Nope."

Jazz's visor flashed, and his grin curled. "Where do ya wanna start?"

* * *

"This, in some courts, might be considered suicide." Cyclonus gripped as he trailed after Whirl and Thundercracker.

"So was mating me." Whirl shot back at him, still skipping happily along in front of them toward the orange door at the end of the hall.

Thundercracker chuckled.

Cyclonus rolled his optics.

"It's just a bunch of strung together lights." Thundercracker offered his moody friend. "Wheeljack can't possibly make _that_ blow up."

"He blew up a jar full of sand." Cyclonus drawled right back.

Well, he did have a point there.

"Only by pumping too many watts through it." Whirl called back. "And he was trying to make lava glass, so technically that experiment worked."

"Stop defending the lunatic!" The purple shuttle gripped. "It does not make you look anymore sane!"

"Who's the insane one?" Whirl spun on his heels, still skipping along backward with an ever curling smirk on his coopery face. "The insane one, or the one that mates the insane one?"

Thundercracker couldn't help but laugh at that one, as Cyclonus' mouth opened . . . and then promptly snapped back shut. An irritated huff leaving the huge shuttle as he rolled his optics.

"Cheer up, Cyc." Whirl teased him, spinning back around to key their way into Wheeljack's lab door. "It's _Christmas_!"

"We don't _have_ Christmas! It is a stupid human holiday in which we should have no need."

"We're about too!" Whirl sang oh so happily, before breaking out into a course of _Grandma Got Runover By a Reindeer_.

Where in the world he heard that one, Thundercracker didn't even want to know.

Dark red optics, narrow now as they stepped tenderly into the realm of the most dangerous mech on this whole fraggin' planet, shot his way while Cyclonus grumbled. "I blame you for this."

Thundercracker shrugged.

Because really, it was just lights. What was the worse that could happen?

Wheeljack was in the back of his lab, bent over some test tubes full of suspicious looking grey stuff when Whirl pounced on him from behind.

"What the frag!?" Nearly leaping out of his armor Wheeljack failed like a startled robo-cat. The vials of chemicals were only saved from spilling into who knows what mess when TC and Cyclonus both suddenly lunged across the room to scramble hold of all they could get.

Whirl was a little too busy singing about elderly humans getting knocked flat by flying deer to care about whatever nuclear disaster he might have just almost caused.

Once the vials were steadied, both sets of deep red optics shot up in a glare at the lanky blue mech still spinning around the lab dancing with a very confused looking Wheeljack.

"Whirl!" Cyclonus bit. "Put him down."

"And stop _playing_ in here!" Thundercracker growled right beside him.

They were ignored by very awful singing. "—walking home from our house Christmas Eve! You can say there's no such thing as Santa—"

"Whirl!" They both shouted.

Wheeljack, who was still looking kind of wide-optic from his place being swung around the room, glanced the annoyed mech's way in a kind of helpless confusion. Then, glancing down at the top of the swinging mech's helm, the inventor reached out and pinched a cluster of cabling.

Whirl yelped like a scared hound, loosing his grip in a clutter of muscles that suddenly wouldn't listen to him. Dropping not only himself, but Wheeljack along with him. Jacky managed to catch himself on his peds though. Arms thrown out to balance himself until he was left standing there looking around at his visitors.

"What are you mechs up too?" He asked, hurrying back over to his vials to make sure nothing was ruined. Seeing as TC and Cyclonus were more than happy to step back and let him mess with them himself while Whirl was picking himself up off the floor. "And sorry, Whirl, but you really shouldn't do stuff like that."

The lanky blue mech was sprawled on the floor rubbing at his aching neck. But it wasn't a glare he shot Wheeljack when he finally stumbled back to his peds. It was a grin.

"Yeah, probably, but whatever."

Wheeljack huffed a laugh. "What do you mechs need?"

"Reindeer, my good mech." Whirl grinned as he sprawled himself over the top of the desk. Grinning up at the confused blink of Wheeljack's optics. "We need glittery, light up, reindeer."

The inventor glanced up at the seeker and the shuttle. The latter shrugged, the former grinned.

* * *

"You realize this is a monumentally stupid idea, right?" Sunstreaker sighed, walking down the crowded city sidewalk to Sides' right.

"Not really." The red mech shrugged. "We've done way stupider."

Sunstreaker snorted, but he wasn't wrong.

"The only problem we're gonna have is if the whole building falls down when we move them." Sides went on. "And you, of architecturally inclined Sunshine, said that wouldn't happen."

"Don't call me that." The golden mech muttered.

"Architecturally inclined?" Sides blinked back oh so innocently. "But you are, Sunshine. You're very good at it. You helped design the Station, remember?"

Sunstreaker glared but didn't rise to the bait.

"Yes," He nodded instead. "And I remember what it took to move those crystals to begin with. I agree they'd make the best trees. Lots we might not have, but those two are more than big enough to fit the bill. But moving them is not going to be something we're gonna pull off and no bot notice it."

"Already got that covered." Sides grinned.

"And how's that?"

"Blackmail."

Oh, this should be good.

* * *

Somehow, Sunstreaker wasn't the least bit surprised when they ended up standing in front of Smokescreen's ship part shop. What he was surprised about, was how he never knew Sideswipe had over seventy-two breams of blackmail footage dangling from a smiley face shaped USB drive he'd brought from Earth.

Really.

How in all of pit had Sunstreaker not known about that?

Maybe he needed to start paying a little bit more attention to what Sideswipe kept stashed in places.

"Oh, Smokey!" Sideswipe called as the merry little bell over the door jingled their way into the shop. "Smokey, Smokey, Smokey! Where are you?"

From a back section of the shop a loud bang sound followed by a rather colorful string of curses that had both brothers chuckling quietly to themselves as they approached the register in the back. Reaching it just in time to lean against the countertop just as Smokescreen poked his helm around the doorway in the back.

"Sideswipe?" The tri colored Praxian said. Stepping the rest away out to make his way over to the pair. "Sunstreaker. What's up?"

"Oh, not much." Sideswipe replied, holding his grin up by his palm. "We're just gonna steal the crystal pillars out of the Tran Station and turn them into two Christmas trees in the middle of the Compound's court yard square to have a giant Christmas celebration and you're gonna help us do it."

Smokescreen blinked. Blue optics going wide as they flickered back and forth between them for a long handful of klicks. Then, slowly, he said.

"And why am I going to do that?"

Sideswipe didn't answer. Well, not verbally at least.

Instead, he plucked a dangly chain holding a small data drive from his subspace. Making sure the ringed end was wrapped firmly in his fingers, before dangling it out before Smokescreen's faceplate.

For a moment, the tri colored mech blinked at it. Helm tilting to throw light off his sweeping red chevron while he looked at it. Then, suddenly, a bright flash of understand jolted through the mech's field and he dove half way across the counter top trying to snatch it.

"Give me that, you red bastard!"

"Ah, ah, ah!" Sides snickered, yanking the chain out of reach. Watching as the smaller mech crashed down on top of his own counter only to scramble back up again in an attempt to snatch it once again.

Sides tuttered at him, tossing the chain back into subspace before the Praxian could fling himself over the obstacle between them in an attempt to strangle him. Sunstreaker simply leaned there, watching the two of them with growing amusement.

"Sideswipe!" Smokescreen growled, pushing himself back off the counter while glaring daggers up at the bigger bot. "You slaggin' glitch, where did you get that!?"

"That's for me to know and you to spend the next vorn trying to figure out. The point isn't where I got it though. The point is, I have it. And unless you want it to arrive on Prowl's desk, gift wrapped with a little bow, then you, Rider, and Hammer are going to help us move two giant aft crystals out of the Tran station and into the court yard. All without Megatron finding out about it until it's done."

"That's insane!" The white mech striped in red and blue snapped at him. "The whole damn building is being held up by those things!"

"No it isn't." Sunstreaker shook his helm.

Smokescreen shot him a glare, then went back to trying to kill the red brother with his optics. "Besides, if you gave it to Prowl you'd spend a cycle in a cell two!"

"True," Sides admitted. "But you see as the guilty party that turned in the material I'm likely to get a lesser level of angry Prowl. Besides, I have no shame."

Sunstreaker snorted with a fond roll of his optics.

"So what's it gonna be, Smokey?" Sides went on in that teasing tone. Watching the tri colored mech fume across the counter from him. "You wanna help us give the younglings a Christmas because the want one, or are you gonna spend a cycle in the brig."

"I help you move those crystals we'll all be doing that anyway."

"Yeah, but Prowl will be none the wiser about Canada."

For a moment longer, Smokey glared. Then, with a rattle of his doorwings, the smaller mech sighed. Slumping against the countertop with a whoosh of breath until he was lazily looking up at the twins with his chin on his palm.

"You said this was for the youngling?" He questioned. "What's going on?"

So, Sideswipe told him. Told him about Blue's lessons with the mechlings, about Bee's sudden idea, about Nook saying why not, about all them agreeing to help, about Megatron saying no, and about this being about far more then just younglings wanting fun. About how Bee had a point, and they all knew it. They knew it by the sag in Smokescreen's doorwings behind his back and the nod he suddenly gave them.

"Well why didn't you open with that?" He complained as Sideswipe finished. "I'd have helped if you had just asked."

"Yeah," Sides nodded. "I figured. But this was more fun."

Smokey huffed and Sunstreaker chuckled.

They were about to shove themselves up off their leaning when the door to the shop swished open again to the big forms of Outrider and Hammerdown. Both looking more than a little confused.

"Hey, Smokey?" The big red mech striped in black called. "Do you have any idea why there are a bunch of recruits running around singing that old The Grinch song from Earth that Bee likes so much but with Megatron as the Grinch?"

The twins blinked, Smokey's helm tilted, because . . . huh?

* * *

Claws drumming against the slate silver surface of his desk, Megatron tried to focus on the boring lines of scout reports without much luck.

"Annoying little mech." He grumbled to himself, glaring down at the glyphs that would no longer focus before him. He was sure they were likely perfectly legible and quite clear, but at the moment that mattered very little in his mind.

He simply couldn't focus.

A heavy sigh worked through his vents as he slapped the datapad back down on his desk. Frustrated, leaning back in his chair, he lifted a hand to massage at the pounding point behind his optics. It helped very little. Not that he was surprised.

He let out another huff.

Helm smacking lightly against the chair's back. Slowly opening his optics to glare at the ceiling above him.

He had been getting a lot done too.

Heaving out one more long breath, he resigned himself to the fact that he would get nothing else this orn. So, he shoved himself up out of his chair and stalked from his office.

Megatron was, in fact, not foolish enough to think that Bumblebee would do as he said. The young yellow mech never had learned how to listen to the word no. Megatron blamed Optimus for that, but well, what could be expected when his big pushover of a little brother was supposed to instill discipline in a youngling?

Commanding troops?

Yeah, sure, Optimus was very good at inspiring fools to do noble things. However, in the area of teaching younglings to do as they were told, not so much.

Which in all reality, was probably Megatron's fault.

He was the one that raised Optimus after all.

Shaking his helm, Megatron banished the thoughts in favor of setting himself on a course toward the lower levels. About now the yellow mech should have found himself somebot willing to help him reroute power lines. Meaning, it was time to storm down there and growl at idiots.

Maybe then he could get something done.

So he walked, down through the office part of the compound, down through the life filed lobby, and out into the center courtyard. It was a security feature, that none could go straight form the lower levels into the main offices of the Complex. One of Red Alerts paranoias that actually got listened to because Soundwave threw paper balls at the back of Magnus' helm until he listened.

Megatron had to admit it was a good idea, but that didn't mean it didn't get annoying.

Especially on orns when he didn't feel like talking to anything. Especially not young, foolish recruits just off training for the rest of the orn who had too much restless energy for anybots good.

The massive grey mech stalked toward them heading across the yard. Going unnoticed to whatever fool-sparked plan they were likely cooking up to get in trouble with Ironhide. The group of various colors, frames, and size all bunched together laughing to themselves.

Megatron went by, trying his best to ignoring them. For then he had plausible deniability in whatever disaster they managed to accomplish.

He almost made it too, when suddenly his name drifted to his audios.

His whole frame tensing up into a stall as the sung words filter in to make some kind of sense. Sorta.

"You're a vile one, Megatron. You're a nasty wasty skunk. Your heart is full of unwashed socks. Your soul is full of gunk, Megatron. The three words that best describe you, are as follows, and I quote: "Sink, stank, stunk"!"

For a very long moment, Megatron stood there. Trying to digest what the frag he was hearing as the singing fools slid into another course. Slowly turning, dark fire optics glared through narrow slits at the tangle of young fools that went right on singing.

"You're a rotter, Megatron. You're the king of sinful sots. Your heart's a dead quarts splotched with moldy purple spots, Megatron. Your soul is an appalling dump heap. Overflowing with the most disgraceful assortment of rubbish imaginable. Mangled up in tangled up knots!"

A deep growl rising in his chest as his engines snarled with it. The tangle of bots screeching off into silence before slowly they all dared to peak around behind them. Quite a few chocked gasps getting swallowed down while they blinked in horrified shock at the towering grey mech standing there behind them.

"What the frag are you _singing_?" He demanded in a voice that was more snarl then anything else. Claws flexing at his sides while he forced himself to not simply lift his fusion cannon and start frying these disrespectful little glitches.

It would piss off Optimus and Rodimus. That and give him a _lot_ more paperwork to do.

Swallowing back the rising urge he settled for clenching his fists while the bunch of quivering fools stared in growing fear up at him.

"Meg-me-g-a-meg-a—"

Cutting off the stammering little orange glitch, Megatron rumbled. "What. Are. You. Singing."

"We didn't make it up, we swear!" One of the others pleaded, stumbling back over his friend while he hurriedly tried to explain. "We swear, sir, we didn't. We would never—"

"You were singing it." Megatron huffed, some of the anger fading him as a memory pulled at the back of his mind. Of something about that tune being familiar to him. Of hearing it somewhere before.

"W-w-w-we heard it, sir." Another said, blue optics stretched wide.

"Where?" He grumbled, still trying to figure out why that damn tune sounded so familiar.

"Those little youngling twins were—"

And suddenly, it all made sense.

"Bumblebee." Megatron grumbled, rolling his optics as he took a step back from the still petrified mass of recruits. Because this had that little yellow thorn in his side written all over it. The familiarity of it suddenly clicking into place.

He had heard that tune before.

Granted, it hadn't had his name in it the first time around. He had heard it though. When he had been trapped on a medical berth with no feeling in his legs while Ratchet and Knockout put him back together. When a cheeky little yellow mech had thought himself very clever when he drug a vid screen into the closed off section of the medical bay. Then had laughed for twelve breams straight after setting up that stupid human _Christmas_ movie on repeat.

And those damn traitorous medics had _let_ him.

Gah.

Growl still bubbling through his chest, Megatron cut his glare back to the trembling mess of recruits as he snarled. "Get the pit out of my sight."

They scattered like glitch mice, fleeing as fast as their peds could carry them from the world famous temper that was the Protector. Leaving Megatron standing there rumbling to himself in the middle of the court yard.

Growling, he spun away. Fist still clenched at his sides while he stalked back toward his office.

"Damn little glitch." It was obvious the young mech had something to do with this . . . this . . . .

 _Song._

Somehow.

However, Megatron found himself pausing as he rounded a corner into a leading off hall of the lobby. The anger simmering in his tanks fading the rest of the way out until he was left standing there rolling over the words around his helm.

The long suppressed memory of that beat surging up through him to pick up the words that had been sung so horribly out of tune out in the court yard.

He blinked.

Then he sighed.

"Screw it." He huffed out a laugh, strutting on down the hall. Along the bright bluish lights shining off the tall columns that lined the sides of the grander hall.

It was kind of fitting after all.

Taking up the lyrics he would deny to the ends of the planet that he remembered he hummed himself back to his office.

Let them have their way a little while longer. He'd bother with it later.

* * *

In complete honestly, Jynx had no idea how it happened. Sure, they had been singing along with the mechlings to their new song a little while ago when they had gone prancing down the hallways dragging more copper wire then could ever be needed by anyone. However, she hadn't really thought anybot else noticed them.

Sure, she knew Bee was supposed to be getting Jazz's help and the twins went off somewhere to do . . . something about a tree. She still wasn't sure about that. Apparently Thundercracker had gone to get help from Whirl and Cyclonus as well. But for the last several breams as the orn wore on into evening they had been simply been stringing _tinsel._

Singing along with the mechlings running around the floor dragging wire to the truly ridiculous song they sort of stole. The one Nook was currently putting to music in between bouts of stringing wire. The jingle drifting around for the little mechs to sing off-key to while they worked.

Then, suddenly, the door to Blue's room smacked open and her gaze flew up. One klick she, Nook, Blue, and Warp were all pilled around his floor weaving bits of copper wire together and then they were being invaded by a room full of singing mechs.

Dreadwing and Skyquake squealed with glee as they were suddenly pulled up and swung around the room by a loudly singing Bumblebee.

"You're a monster, Megatron. Your spark's an empty hole. Your processor is full of glitches, you have zinc in your spark, Megatron. I wouldn't touch you with a thirty-nine-and-a-half foot Dinobot!"

Cackling Jazz slid in after him. Plopping down on his aft next to where Jynx was surrounded in glittery, puffed out copper tinsel. Leaning into her side as he dumped a box of blinking balls. Sideswipe, Sunstreaker, Smokescreen, Outrider, and Hammerdown following him in all carrying various boxes and bags.

Smokescreen plopped down between Nook and Bluestreak giggling to himself as he took up the next bit of lyrics.

"You're a foul one, Megatron. You have scraplets in your smile. You have all the tender sweetness of a seasick Sharkcon, Megatron. Given a choice between you the two of you; I'd take the seasick Sharkcon!"

Skywarp, currently sitting with long strands of golden strung copper tinsel wrapped around him grinned like a supernova when they all game in dropping various boxes. He was comparing the long strands of copper to something called a boa about a bream ago, but now he was flinging them off of him in favor of diving into the boxes.

"What in pit?" Nook chuckled, glancing around the crowd now gathering around. Each one looking very proud of themselves.

"We're gonna need more then just lights and tinsel, mech." Jazz shrugged. "Wheeljack went a little overboard with TC's instructions."

"Wheeljack?" Jynx questioned, leaning back to look at Sides and Sunny. The pair were standing behind her, watching Bumblebee spin the pair of laughing mechlings around the room singing with them. "You went to Jacky?"

"TC did." Sides shrugged. "We blackmailed Smokescreen."

"Mute it." The tri colored mech grumbled, leant back on his hands with his doorwings twitching in humor.

Jazz shot a glance between them before shrugging. "Eh, I'll pretend I didn't hear that."

"Probably for the best."

"Where is TC?" Nook asked, twitching a wing

"Getting ready to start stringing lights with Whirl and Cyc." Sunstreaker replied.

"Getting ready?" Blue's helm tilted, bright optics glittering with question as he went on tying wire.

"We figured it would be better to get everything ready after dark. Less chance of Megs stopping it in the middle." Bee answered.

"Awwww," Skyquake whined, hanging over Bee's shoulder.

Dreadwing huffed, over his other shoulder. "But us wanted Christmas!"

"And you'll get it." Bee promised them. "Tomorrow. For now, I think it's about you two's berth time, isn't it?"

Nook's mismatched optics flashed, but he got the hint for what it was. "Come on, mechlings. It is about time for you two to be in berth."

"Where TC?" Dreadwing peeped.

"Wanna be tucked in!" Skyquake smacked his palms against Bee's armor.

Nook pushed himself to his peds, dropping his tinsel in Smokescreen's lap. Walking over to take his pouting mechlings from a grinning Bee. Gathering them up while Skywarp tripped over himself to dump all his gathered shinnies to follow after Nook.

"Me help tuck in! Get TC if want."

"They can make it a few breams without him." Nook replied. "But you can come help if you like."

The next little bit was a whole lot of tired mechling pouting and quiet carrier shushing. Until Nook managed to get them bundled up in his arms and took them to berth with Skywarp in tow. Leaving the rest of the crowded room behind. Or more accurately, the calm before the storm.

They all kind of hung there for a moment after that. A room full of scheming mechs and a femme covered in copper tinsel. She finally tilted her helm back to blink up at the pair of mechs standing behind her.

"Is this the part I come and help you lot?"

"Nope." Sideswipe popped.

"You're going to berth." Sunstreaker added.

"We'll be back later." Sides finished.

She fluttered her sensors at him, while Jazz chuckled.

"And why can't I help?"

"We decided it's supposed to be a surprise." Jazz answered, visor glowing warmly.

"I helped make decorations."

"And now you can go to berth so you'll be surprised about what we do with them." Sunstreaker murmured.

"But—"

"Come on, Sweetspark." Jazz hummed at her, leaning over to brush his field warmly against her own. "Let them have their Christmas surprise for you. Go help Nook put the mechlings to berth. You'll see in the morning."

"I wanted to help."

"You did." He jingled one of the glittery things she had made. "Now go on."

She gave the pair of dark, vivid blue optics another long look as they twinkled at her. Eventually, she gave them a nod. Setting aside the long strands of tinsel that were pilled around her. Picking herself up giving a flex of her field to the pair of them before heading out after Nook.

Bluestreak was the first one—still with tinsel pilled around him—to speak after the door shut behind her.

"Why do I get the feeling you're only doing that to keep her, Nook, Warp, and the mechlings out of trouble?" He laughed lightly, turning his pale blue gaze up to grin at his elder brother.

Smokescreen smirked at him. "Even Megs in a mood wouldn't blame the mechlings."

"He'd blame Bee." Outrider snorted, leaning against the wall beside the door with Hammerdown beside him.

"Hey!" The little mech gripped.

"Well it was all your idea." Hammer raised an optic ridge at him. "I can't wait to see what he does about that song."

"Something tells me we'll be finding out." Jazz smirked, optics flashing behind his visor as he leaned up to hang his arms loosely around his knees. "So, somebot besides Bee, tell me what it is we're really doing here."

Once again, Bluestreak explained. Sideswipe and Sunstreaker offering the detail of where they were gonna get their trees. Something that made all of them besides their blackmailed into this help stare at them.

"The Tran Station crystals. Are you serious?" Jazz blinked.

"We'll put them back." Hammer shrugged.

"And it will be a prank to go down in the history books."

"If Megatron doesn't kill you." Bumblebee flapped his doorwings. "Or me for staring all this. When you said you had an idea about the trees I thought you were gonna making something!"

"If you'd given us more then an orn, then sure." Sideswipe told him. "Short notice, this is the best I could come up with."

"Wheeljack was busy helping Cyclonus with the lights." Sunstreaker went on. "No bot else around here could throw together that much wiring and make in work in an evening."

"How are you even going to move them?" Bluestreak asked.

"Same way we got 'em in." Jazz's faceplate suddenly lit up with understanding. "You're moving them on the tracks."

"The set that moved them in are still under them." Sunstreaker nodded. "They lock under the floor. All it takes is a switch flipped. Move them on a flat car and take them right up to the court yard using the hidden track."

"You can flip that switch, right Jazz? Your code will cover it?" Sides questioned.

The saboteur nodded. "Easy. It's in the same room we need to get to for the power grid. Comm me and I'll flip it while Bee and I are down there."

"What do you want me to do?" Bluestreak flapped his doorwings.

"You can help me decorate." Smokey offered. "I don't want to string tinsel all over this place by myself."

"Most of it is going on the tree." Bee countered.

"And there is more than enough." Rider shrugged. "But we need some inside too."

"Don't you need to help Sides and Sunny?" Bluestreak's helm tilted, his chevron through off light.

"Not after they get them moving. Hammer and Rider are built more for that then I am."

"We got it covered." Hammer nodded.

"Then lets get started." Bumblebee bounced.

* * *

When the berth dipped behind her quite a few breams later, Jynx barely blinked her optics open before warm, strong arms wrapped around her from behind. A deep, tired, rumbling purr filling her senses as she was tugged back into a strong frame she knew oh so well.

Weight shifted around her until another heavy frame flopped down near her front. Shifting forward as she was snuggled back. A hand slipping into to tangle with her fingers as a noseplate snuggled into the back of her neck.

"What are you doing still awake?" Sideswipe murmured, hot breath puffing against the soft cabling of her neck.

She yawned as an answer.

Snuggling deeper into the warmth surrounding her once again. Squeezing Sunny's fingers tighter as the big mech shifted closer into the both of them. Leg lifting to hook over Sides' hip and arm lifting to wrap around his shoulders. Making sure they were wrapped up around each other as close as they could get as he settled his helm on the pillow beside her own.

"That took longer then I figured." She finally purred at them, pulling Sunny's hand up until it was tucked tightly against her chest.

"Those crystals are fraggin' massive." Sunstreaker grumbled, but there was humor in his voice as he nuzzled the top of her helm.

"Took a while to move them." Sides finished. "And then we had to decorate the damn things."

She snickered, letting out another long yawn while she shifted. Legs tangling loosely with both mechs'. "Get it all like Bee wanted?"

They hummed.

"So you noticed, huh?" Sides asked after a long moment of simply laying there in the calm, warm, comfort between the three of them.

"That he wants it even more then the mechlings? Yeah, but I don't know why." She huffed back, rolling over onto her back so that she could look between the two of them. In a shared movement, both mechs shifted with her so that they could law with an arm under their helms. Dark, vivid blue optics looking back at her.

She could see the tired hanging over them on their faceplates. However, it was a proud kind of tired. They had enjoyed what they spent their orn doing. They were excited about this scheme that had been cooked up. They had had fun.

Jynx still might not completely understand what was so important about it, but she could see it had made those important to her happy. So she had done what she could to help. Even if it was mainly just helping Nook watch the mechlings.

They had been more fun than anything else.

She was quite looking forward to seeing what they were going to say in the morning.

"Bee worries about everybot." Sunstreaker said softly back at her.

She nodded against the pillow, shifting to catch Sides' wondering hand and bring it up to tangle with Sunny's that she already had grasp of. "I know."

"And he misses Earth."

Her sensors flicked in shock.

"Really?"

"He spent quite a while there." Sides shrugged as much as she could, huddled up into a ball wrapped around her side. "He made a lot of friends."

Oh.

A bit of understanding filtered through her chest then. "And they're gone now."

Both mechs nodded. "Yeah."

"I hadn't really considered that."

"Most don't." Sides sighed. "Besides Hide and Mia, maybe. They're the only ones he talks too about it. We know how much those children meant to him though. He misses them. So bringing a bit of Christmas magic here brings them back to him in a way, I supposed."

"That and he's not wrong." Sunstreaker went on. "We could all use a bit of magic."

Well, they weren't wrong there.

Her claws tightened a bit more around their fingers. Their grip tightened in return. Sides bending his helm to pressing his chin atop her lowered sensors.

They lay there in their content tangle for a while longer after that. Sparks humming happily. Yawns growing longer, systems slowing down, until quietly Jynx muttered.

"I still don't really get it though."

The quiet words woke the twins from the doze they had slipped back into. The both of them blinking a moment before humming.

"Don't get what?"

"The . . . magic." She whispered. "I mean, for sparklings and younglings. Sure, I understand how it works for them. But Bee wants it for more than just the younglings. He wants the magic for everybot. I just don't . . . ."

"Get how a bunch of lights and decorated crystals make magic?" Sideswipe questioned.

Nodding slowly, Jynx sighed. "Yeah."

For a nano the two lay there with their helms propped up on their arms. Dark blue optics lifting to share a glance. Then, a slow smile curled their lips.

"Come on." Sides poked at her ribs, drawing a huffing laugh from her before his fingers were smacked away.

"Stop that!" She giggled.

"Come on," He grinned down at her. "Get up, come here."

Sunstreaker's arms slipped around her, only to lever her up, to let Sides pull her from the berth. Laughing lightly at their antics she let herself be shuffled up and to her peds. Tucking herself into the red mech's side in an effort to keep some of that warmth while Sunstreaker crawled out of the berth.

"I thought the whole point of me going to help Nook was you didn't want me to see?" She huffed at them, tired and already missing the warmth of the berth and their frames wrapped around her.

"We didn't want you to see it until we were done." Sunstreaker corrected her, and then much to her confusion, they didn't head to the door. They lead her to their large windows instead.

Sideswipe reached up to snatch hold of the curtain. Pulling it away with a flourish before he bowed to her with a smirk.

Jynx's jaw dropped.

Before her, sprawled a marvel the likes of which she had never seen. The plain, functional courtyard that had once stretched below their window had vanished. In its place, a . . . wonderland.

Cybertron was a world of metal and stone, but many aspects of it glowed. Such was simply the product of a world so intertwined with electric currents. Crystals glowed, animals glowed, pit even bot's bio lights glowed.

But this, _this_ was like nothing she had ever seen before.

In the center of the courtyard stood the towering crystals that had once stood in the Tran section. The spiraled pillars of glittering blue that were beautiful all on their own, but now were a level above all that.

From their bases to their pointed tops were covered in strands of tiny glowing white lights. The effects of which glowing against the crystals natural blue light to form a truly beautiful glow. Then there was the colorful balls that were hung here and there. Red, blue, green, white, purple, orange, silver, and gold. Strategically placed by an artful optic to gleam and glitter against the crystals' surfaces.

Then there was the glittering strands of copper tinsel wire trailing up the spirally surface.

A gleam from the corner of her visor had her turning. Sucking in the breath that had left her while her optics shifted. Taking in the rest of the gleaming, sparkling, glittering masterpiece the mechs had created.

There were gleaming, blinking lights over everything. Trailing up light posts, wrapped around benches, and covering rooftops. They hung and lined the surrounding buildings of the courtyard. In shades of blue, red, green, purple, gold, and white. Some blinking, some dripping, some just glowing happily.

Then, she noticed the shapes spaced around the courtyard. At first, she didn't know what they were. It simply registered as shapes made of light, but then suddenly it clicked.

Deer.

Some golden, some white, some blue. Large, small. Some with impressive antlers curling over their helms, others without. Sparkling ones trailing after their carriers. Sires with their helms waving at each other. Some posed in jumps, others looking like they were grazing.

There were dozens of them, forming little herd packets, scattered around the courtyard.

There were others too. Glittering turbofoxes running around lamp posts, blinking hive hawks sitting on lamp posts, a few rounded shapes sitting on top of each other that after a moment she realized were supposed to be Snowmen. Those things Blue had told her about from earth.

There were many others too. Red and white candy looking things hung around posts and doorways. Weaves of green metal and glittering lights on the doors to form wreaths. More stuff she couldn't pick out form this distance by glittering warmly, brightly all the same in the quiet dark of the courtyard.

It should have been a sensory overload, but it was beautiful.

Awe inspiring.

Spark warming.

"Magic."

It was beautiful.

Truly, beautiful.

Put together, it was more then lights glowing in the dark. She hadn't understood how, until then, but standing there now staring down into the shimmering courtyard she saw it.

She understood what Bee meant when he said it was magic.

Watching it all shimmer she couldn't help the sparkling like giggle that left her.

The shimmering sight made her want to laugh, to play, to run around in the middle of it and simply stare. And for some truly strange reason she wanted to plop down on her back under one of those glowing crystals and simply look up.

"It's wonderful." She breathed, leaning heavily into Sunstreaker's field buzzing with amusement and something far warmer.

"We thought so." Sideswipe whispered back to her, leaning into her other side.

"He's a genius." She giggled, watching the bunch of little sparkling circuit deer that looked like they were playing together.

"Don't tell him." Sunstreaker snorted. "It'll go to his helm."

Laughing, she let them lead her back to berth, but they left the curtain open. The three of them piling back into their content tangle. Sunstreaker on his back, Sideswipe tucked in against him, and Jynx laying more on top of both of them then she was the berth now. Her helm pillowed on Sunstreaker's chest while Sideswipe lay his helm on her belly. Optics watching the glittering, twinkly lights until they eventually sank into recharge.

* * *

"JYNX!"

The high pitched shout was the only warning the three of them got before two bundles of vibrating energy plowed into their berth.

Sideswipe snorted, jolting awake as Jynx rolled and Sunstreaker blinked. The bright white femme rolling over, blinking her optics open, to find two sets of red glittering back at her. Two dazzling smiles to go along with them as the two vibrating youngling beamed down at her.

For a nano they blinked at each other. Jynx rather confused as to how Dreadwing and Skyquake were currently laying on her chest while Sideswipe and Sunstreaker stared at them from each side of her before softly Jynx said.

"Morning, little mechs."

"Morin'" Skyquake chirped loudly, bouncing on top of her while Dreadwing quivered in excitement beside him. Their little wings flapping with too much emotions while they wiggled around trying to get the three of them up.

"Up!" Dread barked, hopping up and down on Sideswipe's hip, much to the red mech's amusement. "Up! Up! Up!"

"See!" Skyquake added, small claws scrabbling for a hold of Jynx's fingers. Once he got a good enough hold, he tossed himself backward into the blankets. Trying to pull her up with all his kicking peds little might.

Giggling, Jynx levered herself up. Letting the little mech cheer with joy when he obviously pulled her up all on his own.

"See! See!"

"See what?" Sunstreaker rumbled, staying right where he was. Throwing an arm over his optics to shut out the light that was suddenly flipped on from across the room. Jynx's helm twisted toward the door the same time Sideswipe sat up to let Dreadwing tumble to his lap.

Finding Nook standing there in their now open door with a smile was not all that surprising. Nor was Thundercracker leaning over his shoulder watching the little mechs bounce all over the berth.

"Snow!" Dreadwing cheered, flapping his way up out of Sides' lap to scrambled down the berth toward his brother who was still yanking at Jynx.

Jynx suddenly went still. The same time Sideswipe tensed up, and Sunstreaker slowly pulled his arm off his optics.

"What did you say?" Sideswipe asked, blinking down at the little blue mech's gleaming red optics.

"Snow!" They peeped, wings waving in excitement as they scrambled out of the berth. Hopping as much as their wobbly selves could toward the open window. Pointing and bouncing as Jynx clambered out of the berth after them. Sideswipe scrambling up behind her, dragging a grumbling Sunstreaker after him.

Jynx skidded to the window just in time for Dread and Quake to haul themselves up to be able to see out. What she found there left her staring. Optics wide as they took in the still glittering light covered courtyard, crystal trees, and all the rest of the twinkling things. All of it, now covered in a steadily thickening layer of sparkling silver snow.

She stared, optics widening in wonder at the glittering silver dancing down from the sky. Dusting over the twinkly lights, the sweeping tinsel, and the towering glowing crystals dressed up like Christmas trees.

"Christmas!" Dreadwing cheered, small claws jabbing at the world out the window.

"It came!" Skyquake bounced, wings flapping happily.

"It brought snow!"

"Look!"

"Look!"

"Yes," Jynx breathed, awe making her voice airy. "I see."

"Come on!" Two sets of tiny claws grabbed for her hands when they jumped back off the window. "Come on! Go see!"

She trailed after them, laughing lightly under her breath. Being dragged past a grinning Nook and smirking TC as snickering the twins followed her.

Several floor, a crowded lobby full of awe blinking bots, and then they were bursting out into the cold winter air. Tiny ped steps making marks in the layers of building snow. Little mouths falling wide as they drug her into the courtyard. Drawing to a stop just a few paces from the sliding glass doors of the main lobby.

Seeming to pay no attention at all to the clusters of staring bots gathered here and there. Taking in the lights, the borrowed crystal, and everything else.

Glancing around see caught sight of Optimus and Elita standing near the lobby doors. Jazz and Prowl, Ironhide and Chromia, Rodimus and Ultra Magnus, Ratchet and Arcee. There was Mirage and Quickfire, over there was Knockout and Breakdown. Near one of the other buildings Cyclonus, Whirl, and Tailgate. The mini-mechs arms full of a babbling sparkling.

Soundwave with his creations blinking around them. Red Alert looking very put out. Jolt laughing quietly to himself.

There was Bluestreak, leaning against Smokescreen with Outrider and Hammerdown. Bumblebee laughing to himself as he spun around with his arms held wide in the falling snow. Skywarp over near one of the towering crystals dancing around singing . . . of wonderful the one the mechlings made up.

And then all the others. Some she knew the faces of, some she had no idea at all. For it seemed the Compound's gates had opened and the whole city was trickling in. Small bots, big bots, every shape and color. Some holding sparklings, other keeping the hands of wide-opticed younglings.

All looking pretty much the same as those young, awe filled faces. Staring up at the twinkling lights, the trees, and all the rest. Optics wide, mouths forming slow smiles, and quite a few laughing at the sight of all of it.

Smiling at the sight, Jynx let go of Dread and Quake's tiny hands. Letting them the two shoot across the courtyard for Warp. Laughing the whole way as they slid through the falling silver.

Their sudden movement seemed to be some kind of universal sign because as soon as they moved every other youngling did the same. Carriers and Sires letting them of to race out into the falling snow. Some making for the crystals, some for the twinkling deer and foxes. Others simply chasing each other around the softly falling silver. Scooping up handfuls and tossing it at one another.

Laughing, quite a few young bots went after them. Tackling friends, throwing snowballs, sliding around the slick courtyard. Much more subdued, but smiling all the same, quite a few older bots went after them.

Bumblebee was yanking at Hide and Mia. Smokescreen shoving at Prowl while Blue and Jazz pulled him. Jolt appeared behind Magnus to help Rodimus shove him out into the snow. Soundwave following his cheering, running younglings into the snow. Optimus standing, smiling wide as Elita leaned into his side. Bright blue optics sweeping over the courtyard and his bots he found there.

Taking in the giggling younglings running among the lights squealing at the snow. The young bots too old to be called younglings, but still clinging to the attitudes that made them young. Tossing about each other with excited peals of laughter. Then the grown bots currently flinging snow at each other, or basking in the glow of towering crystals dressed up like trees, smiling like sparklings.

Then, those royal blue optics slid across the court yard to find her standing there watching as well.

A question lifted one regal optic ridge but Jynx could only shrug.

 _It wasn't me._ She grinned at him with a flutter of her sensors. Tipping her helm toward the yellow mech striped in black currently having a snowball fight around a heard so twinkling deer with his creators.

 _Ah, I see._ He nodded, sweeping his gaze back around to find the young mech he had helped raise. Elita leaning further into her mates side, smiling out at the sight before her.

She wasn't quite sure why she looked up after that. Maybe it was the twinkling lights or maybe it was the flash of silver where it didn't belong. But she tipped her chin up all the same. Lifting her visor to take in one of the light covered roofs, where against the rising sun, stood Megatron. Thick arms crossed over his chest, fire red optics glowing with an emotion she wasn't quite sure what to make of.

The mech who had told them no. That had said they couldn't do this.

Lips curling she realized that the glow in those red optics was not anger though.

No.

It was amusement.

Standing up there on his perch above the city, Megatron watched the masses below fall into the wonder they found before them. His deep optics sliding around the court yard much as Optimus' had done until they found her looking back at him.

Teasing smile in place, she lifted a hand to wave. Watching the big mech huff out a cloud of hot air from his vents as he snorted. Even from her place on the ground though she could tell he didn't mean it.

He nodded his helm back to her, scared faceplate forming a small smirk of his own, before he knelt down. Scooping up a ball of silver, glittering snow and hurling it down toward Bumblebee's helm.

It hit with a wet smack that nearly knocked the young mech off his peds. A stream of shouts went up at it. Optics lifting to find who had done it. When they found Megatron many took to laughing, others rolled their optics.

Bee's bright optics narrowed before he bolted back for the building likely going for the big mech on the roof.

Jynx snickered, watching Megatron roll his optics, but stand there and wait all the same. Watching the life going on below him.

Turning her own attention back to the brilliant courtyard, she felt them before she heard them, but still she smiled a bit more when Sideswipe's arm looped around her shoulders. Pulling her into his hip as Sunstreaker slid in on her other side. Dark blue optics looking out on what they had helped pull off. Nook and Thundercracker slipped out behind them. A teasing smirk on Nook's lips as he winked walking by. The massive blue seeker following after him with a pleased look in his faceplate.

Jynx watched them go. Leaning further back into Sunstreaker's side, as her silver optics traced them across the thriving courtyard to find the pair of little mechlings currently hopping up and down on Skywarp's shoulders trying to catch snowflakes.

"How did you do it?" She breathed, still looking out at the wonder around them. About a city coming together in a swell of laughter and awe. In the glow of pretty lights, of cute twinkling animal cut outs, and the beautiful crystals.

"We didn't make it snow, Kitten." Sideswipe chuckled down at her.

She smacked at his arm.

Sunstreaker asked. "You like it?"

"It's wonderful. You're wonderful."

That made them both purr. Fingers tightening around her own until Sideswipe reached out to tap her chin. Her sensors fluttering in question when she followed the tug of his grip. Optics tracing the smug lines of his lips and the happy gleam in his optics when he raised his optic ridges and nodded up.

She followed the glance, expression scrunching in confusion when she found something hanging there from the overhang above their helms. It was obviously a twist of wire. Green wire bent into the shape of leaves. Tiny flicks of red round lights glowing here and there around the bushel.

Jynx stared at it, helm tilting.

It was obviously something mimicking an Earth thing. However, she had no idea what it was.

"Mistletoe." Sideswipe rumbled out an explanation.

"What's that?"

"A human thing." Sunstreaker answered.

She leaned back, sensors brushing against the underside of his chest so she could roll her optics at him. "I got that much. What's it for?"

Sunstreaker's smile filled with mischief as Sideswipe chuckled deeply. The sound rumbling low in his chest. Sunstreaker's dark fingers slipping around her chin to turn her around. Bending with the motion just a bit.

"Kissing." He purred.

Her cheeks flushed hot, bright blue. Sensors fluttering with embarrassed even while her spark hummed in her chest. Her chin ducking against her chest for a moment while their fields flexed around her. They grinned at the feeling she flexed back at them, while she dared lift her optics back to those dark blue staring back at her.

"And you two think you deserve a kiss, do you?" She teased.

They grinned all the wider.

"We did make magic." Sideswipe smirked, leaning in closer behind her. "That's kind of awesome."

She grinned back, twisting enough to be noseplate to noseplate with the red brother. Her optics slowly drifting shut as she leaned a bit closer only for the three of them to suddenly spring apart, shouting, as freezing wet snow sloshed over their helms.

Sideswipe yanked her close, spinning away. Sunstreaker straightening up, and spinning around with a snarl. The sound trailing off as they all took in the sight of Bumblebee rushing by on a . . . was that a sled?

"BUMBLEBEE!" Sunstreaker hollered after him, but he was unable to keep the laughter out of his voice.

Jynx wiggled out of Sides' grip and past Sunstreaker to stare after the cackling youngling currently standing on the back of a welded together metal sled. A sled currently being yanked across the courtyard by a pack of young static hounds. White, black, and spotted, barking happily as the half grown siblings rushed through the slush. Dragging a cackling Bumblebee after them as he tossed brightly wrapped packages this way and that.

Bursting out laughing, the bright white femme watched him mush by. Past dozens of cheering younglings chasing after him. Watching them all bounce, and spin, and cheer Jynx didn't bother to stop the pleased smile curling up her lips.

Because he did it.

He actually did it.

They all helped him, but Bee managed to pull it off.

He stole Christmas.

He brought its magic and its wonder to Cybertron on the back of a static-hound sleigh. In the glowing of two towering crystals turned Christmas tree. In the thousands of twinkling lights covering the courtyard.

In the smiles, and the laughter, and the glittering optics.

Magical.

Spark humming in her chest, Sides and Sunny leaning back into their places around her, they smiled.

* * *

 **And there you have it. I wrote a Christmas one-shot. I know its kind of nuts, but I hope you all find it as funny as I did. I greatly enjoyed working on it, that is for sure. And for some odd reason it really amused my family. So yeah, here you go.**

 **Wishing all you wonderful readers a very magical holiday and a happy new year from me and the gang!**

 **-Jaycee**


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